| OCR Text |
Show LXX REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. they will ever become an agricultural people where the)- are, for the sufficient reason that the land is not at all suitable for cultivation. It has beeu fmqnently suggested to the Indians that tbey might re-duce the number and improve the quality of their sheep as a means of , lessening their difficdties (they own 1,500,000 sheep and goats and 80,000 horses); bnt they declare that th'ey have tried it and can do noth. inp with high,grade sheep,and they insist that th6 country is not adapted to thesuccessful raising of any better grade than they now have. It appears that some experiments have been made in that direction, but withbut success. The Indians arc not likely to bestow the care upon their flocks that is requiredin'raising the better grades, and they greatly prefer the lower grades as an article of food snpply. . The special agent is sent to the Navajos with the intention of indue. ing as many of them to remove to the reservation as can safely be pro-vided for there. In this number it is not proposed to include the owners Of extensive ranches with valuable fixed improvements, of whom there are, undenstood to he several, unless they may prefer to make their homeson the reservation. Before making any attempt to induce theIn-dians to remoye to the reservation, the special agent is expected to con-fer with the agent of the Navajos, and toobtain by personal investiga-tion a full knowledge of the capacity of the resewation for supporting a largely increased population now or when -the water facilities shall - have beeu improved. He will advise those who own valliable ranches outside the reservation limits to avail themselres of the privileges of the general allotment act, and will instruct them how to prooeed. It might prove ruinous to some to remove from their present homes, but ultimately the great body of the non-reservation Indians must flnd homes'on the reservation. It is to he hoped that the special agent's visit willtend to allay the bitterne'ss which of late ha8 existed between the Indiarrs and settlers, and that a good beginning may be made toward the desired removal and settlement of the g-t body of non-reservation Indians within tbe boundaries'of their reserve. From what ha8 beeu said it is manifest that there is rmperative need of developing whatever irrigating resources the Navajo reserve pos-sesses. The effort mafie in this direction during the past yearhaa been unexpectedlr encouraging. The work has been done ateighteen points on the reserve, their distances apart varying from half a mile to 100 miles. Five substantial stone and timber dams hive been built, four-teen reservoirs Ifare been excavated from 2 to 15 feet deep-some small, . others covering several acres, and all surrounded by good embank- , ments-and over 6.miles of irrigating ditches havebeen taken out. The most hopeful feature has bean the opening up of flfteen springs, most of which by being dug out and walled up have been transformed from worthlevs mndholes into clear poola containing sufficient living water for thousands of head of stock and for irrigating hundreds of acres of adjoining land. In the mud removed from one spring which now has |
